Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 2 questions

I own a BA SL2 and I've also owned a number of tarptents, such as the Henry Shires Tarptent Rainbow, the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo, and the new Gossamer Gear "The One" tarp tent.

The BA SL2 makes for a great "all around" tent for three season use. Structurally, it will handle pretty much anything and it is also one of the lightest two-person, self standing tents around. I highly recommend it for use as a comfy, spacious, and still pretty darn light double wall solo tent (most solo tents are nylon coffins). HOWEVER, I would not recommend this for two people sharing. It's do-able, but it will be crowded. If you are looking to share, then get something with two doors and two vestibules, like the REI Half Dome.

A single wall tarp tent weighs even less. However, they are condensation prone in humid/rainy climes. Ventilation is critical to manage condensation, so all have 360-degree, non-closable mesh. They are light and airy in warm locations, but can be very drafty when cold winds are blowing out there.

Your location can be humid, but I don't know exactly how humid. You may wish to give tarp tents a try. For solo use, I recommend the Rainbow if you crave space — but if minimum weight is most important, then look at either the Gossamer Gear "The One" or the Lunar Solo. I prefer any three of these over the other long-ish tarptents like Contrail or Cloudburst, etc. as these are suboptimal with crosswinds and you need to orient the foot end toward the wind. To me, that's one more thing to have to worry about, and in any case, winds change directions all the time.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice.

I'd like a two person because sometimes my girlfriend comes with me, but less often than more, so the two doors isn't a huge deal to me. I'll definitely look into the REI tent, though.

It does get extremely humid to the point where you wake up with the feeling a dog has been sleeping on your face.

In that case, then I would recommend the SL2. It's certainly light enough for all the times that you have to lug it by yourself (and you get to enjoy the space) — and if it's the occasional sharing with your girlfriend, then it's probably OK. Best to crawl in one and check for yourself.

Separately, if humidity is that bad, then maybe skip the tarp tents for now. Later on, say for tough mountain hikes out west where humidity is low and weight saving is paramount… you can always get a tarp tent as an added arrow to your quiver.

Excellent. Thank you for your insight.

I'm definitely going to do my reading on tarptents and look into those for future adventures.

I tried out both the SL2 and SL3 and chose the SL3 for my wife and I. The SL2 was just too tight of a squeeze for two adults, especially waiting out a storm in the afternoon. The SL3 was slightly heavier and the amount of space makes this more appealing than the SL2. Hope that helps.

I also thought the SL2 was much too tight for two people.

I ended up with the Sierra Designs Lightning tent. It's 54" wide, and the symetrical design allows both people to sit up &/or move around getting dressed, setting up gear, etc much easier IMO than the asymetrical SL3. The mesh starts about 12-15" up from the floor, so it's warm in the spring / fall. But in the summer, the door must face into the wind to prevent it feeling like an oven. You can leave the door open 2/3 the way even in heavy rain.

When it's hot, or I'm getting woken up by my wife crawling out the 1 door, I've often thought that I should have bought a MSR Hubba Hubba. It has 2 door, and it's much breezer since the mesh goes all the way to the bottom. However, it's too narrow for us since the floor bows inward when it's set up and ends up being only 48" wide. Also, the headroom for "reading while propped up on your elbow" is much worse than the Lightning. This is because the "H" shaped pole configuration causes the inner wall to slope upward & inward in a straight line. At the point where your head is when reading (about 1/4 of the way from the end and about 1/2 way up from the bottom) this results in approximately 8" less headroom & 5" less width.

The new REI tent (Quarter Dome ???) with 1 diagonal pole and 2 half poles (going from a corner to the top of the door) looks like a cheaper version of the Hubba Hubba that fixes that problem. I've heard the REI tents aren't stitched together quite as well &/or aren't quite as durable as the SD, MSR, or BA tents (and it's about 8 oz heavier), but the new one might be my next tent.

ps: If the inside of your timberline's fly isn't dripping wet a lot of mornings, or during most rainstorms, then the humidity in your area is probably fine for a single wall tarp tent. The rainshadow is also so much wider that its comparatively easy not to brush against the walls. Just put some extra gear between you and the edge if you are a restless sleeper.

Chris,

This can be a very delicate matter. Tent size really depends on relationships, sleep position and stuck-in-the-rain activities. Think about who will be there and what they will do.

I knew a couple who slept in a MH Solitude zipped inside 1 bag in the snow. I've also known climbing (bouldering) buddies who need a big wally-world tent to avoid questioning their feelings.

As for designs, I still prefer double walls, but I find free-standing to be a luxury.

I'm looking into the SD Lightning 2 right now.

My trip to Red River Gorge last weekend resulted in my fly being soaked the whole time. This is pretty standard. However, I'm still eager to give something like the Rainshadow a try as it would be a nice addition to my gear closet, especially as I'm planning future treks out west.

I've spent some time looking at REI tents, and although they are typically less expensive than the ones I've been checking out (which is nice since I'm on a grad school budget), I am still weary of the durability/quality of their tents over the long run. I've had the Eureka for some time now, but I've kept extremely good care of the thing and have no problems with it; maybe I'd have the same success with an REI tent?

I realize a part of BPL involves purchase, try, swap, repeat so maybe that's what I'll end up doing. I greatly appreciate everyone's input and being so quick to respond.

Chris, You might consider this tent as well. 4 lb and the easiest tent to set up I've ever used. Take a look at the reviews (one is mine) at http://www.backpackgeartest.org. Richard

As a kid I remember breaking a lot of cheap fiberglass poles and at least one aluminum one on the south Texas coast.

I haven't had any durability issues with modern high quality tents. (REI is probably in this category.) Today, I tend to believe that quality tents die from UV, mildew, and abuse.

That said, I have a Mountain Hardware tent that is in for a minor warranty repair. I still think it is a good tent.

The lightest double skin 2 person tent may be the Terra Nova Laser at 1.3 kilo. It is not a wholly mesh inner at that. It is however only just wide enough to lay out 2 by 3/4 length 50cm wide mats and even then you may have to trim off 2 corners a little. We squeeze into one and it has a better vestibule for wet weather than the seedhouse.

For solo use, I wouldn't ever consider the SD Lightning over the BA Seedhouse 2 SL. The SD is a whole pound heavier! It's bigger (esp. the vestibule) — but the BA is already a palace for one, and its vestibule is plenty big enough for a pack, shoes, and a pair of trekking poles.

OTOH, for two people sharing, the SD's added space will be welcomed. This, and the REI Quarter Dome 2, are two that I would look at. The SD has more interior space, but the QD has two doors and vestibules — and actually weigh a bit less…

…

I saw the SD was heavier and was quick to dismiss it because the whole purpose of purchasing a new tent is to get something smaller and lighter.

The REI QD 2 actually looks like something I would be interested in, though. I think I still have my heart set on the SL 2, though, simply because I will use the shelter alone more often than with 2 people.

This is such a tough decision and I can't say how thankful I am for the insight. I'm new to the site and am simply amazed at how nice and helpful everyone is.

I'll definitely keep reading this thread, updating it with questions as I work towards a new shelter purchase.

Welcome to BPL, Chris. This is a timely post for me, as I just ordered a BA Seedhouse SL 3 from REI (on sale for $299)!

In my research, I found the Seedhouse line to offer the qualities that I was looking for, which I will list later.

The reason I went with the 3 person tent is that IMHO all Seedhouse tents are tight for their advertised capacity but palatial for one less. I always camp with my wife so I definitely needed a capacity of 2. Considering that my wife loves to hike but is so-so about the camping aspect, it would not be prudent of me to squeeze her into a minimalist shelter. She puts up with my love of camping and I try to make her at comfortable as possible. However, if you will be soloing it mostly, the SL2 would probably be your best choice as it will accomodate two, albeit snugly.

Back to the reasons that I chose the Seedhouse.
1. I needed a new "summer" tent that I could use in bug season and my single walls just don't cut it. Buttoned up to protect me from the bugs make for condensation steam baths. The full netting on the Seedhouse will provide a bug-free haven and, as a bonus, turn me into an amateur astronomer at night, without the rainfly. I've never owned a tent like that.
2. I am over 6 feet tall and a lot of tents on the market simply don't fit me without the sleeping bag touching the ends of the tent. The Seedhouse is 90 wonderful inches long.
3. I camp in heavily forested areas where finding a non-vegetated, flat space large enough to erect a tent is a major chalenge. (If it weren't for my wife's refusal, I would be a hammocker). Therefore, the total space taken up by the tent needs to be minimized. I found that the Seedhouse does well at providing a large inner space to small outer space. The one small vestibule allows room for dirty boots and rain protection for the inner tent while entering and exiting, but no more. Yes, if I were out west on the open plain, I would get a SMD Lunar Duo and stretch out. My winter tent for New England is a Golite Hex 3 (Shangra la 3) which I love for snow camping but, I go through anxiety fits trying to find a spot big enough for it.
4. And of course WEIGHT! While it certainly isn't the lightest tent on the market, given the above criteria, it is one of the lightest tents I found that satisfies my particular need.

Posted by Michael Davis:
Back to the reasons that I chose the Seedhouse.
1. I needed a new "summer" tent that I could use in bug season and my single walls just don't cut it. Buttoned up to protect me from the bugs make for condensation steam baths. The full netting on the Seedhouse will provide a bug-free haven…

Michael,
Which single wall tents do you find become steam baths ? Do they have mesh along the sides & ends like the HS tarpents or Lunars, etc ?

John,

Those single wall saunas are a couple of sizes of "car camping" tents (heavy as lead) and a couple of sizes of very lightweight pup tents with sewn floors (nothing fancy)!

My only good single wall is the Hex 3 which is superb for winter snow camping. I surprizingly doesn't get all that much condensation, I think, due to the huge interior volume that lets your exhaled breath "spread out." Also, it is vented. But when conditions are right, the condensation simply runs down the steep side walls harmlessly. Again, due to it's size, you are not likely to brush up against the walls either.

I'm going with the Seedhouse SL 2. I'll let everyone know how it works out on my next trip to The Red.

Hello,

I'm currently trying to settle on a good wife-friendly backpacking tent. By wife-friendly, I mean, no bugs.

I first tried a Tarptent Squall 2. After a test run in an area with tons of granite (Cherry Creek in Emigrant Wilderness), I discovered you can't very well drive four tent stakes into granite. And I wasn't about to spend an hour moving rocks around so I could guy it out! I need to have my tent up and running in 5 minutes, without moving boulders and such. So I slept under the stars, and the clouds of mosquitoes, and the Squall 2 went back. Too bad, it was really well-constructed, and it was a pleasure dealing with Henry Shires.

My second choice was the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 2, which I purchased at REI because of their return policy and my pickiness. I love the quick setup, the all-mesh design, and the non-obtrusive coloring. I absolutely love this tent. In a test run at Rancheria Falls in Hetch Hetchy last weekend, where it was into to 100's for a few days, we really appreciated all the mesh. However, I'm 6'5", which means my sleeping pad is long (ProLite 4 long) and my bag is long (Marmot Helium +15 long). There was no way for me to situate in this tent without having the bottom of my sleeping bag pressed into the tent wall. All the mesh in the world isn't going to prevent a sleeping bag situated in this fashion from getting wet due to overnight condensation. There was not enough width for me to curl up without kneeing my wife, and I can't guarantee that I won't end up laying flat in the middle of the night without realizing it. Indeed, in the morning, the foot of the bag was wet. Not terribly wet, but not bone dry, and for the price of this tent, it's going back to REI tomorrow. In my experience, if you are tall enough to have a long sleeping bag, and you sleep flat on your back, then the bottom of your sleeping bag will get wet in this tent, period. The two 6'3" guys who reviewed this tent on BackpackGearTest and were beside themselves due to its spaciousness must have been camping on another planet ( http://www.backpackgeartest.org/mfr_reviews/Big%20Agnes ).

So tent #3? I'm going to try the SL3. As I said, I absolutely love the design of the SL2, but it's just not tall enough. The SL3 is 6" longer, and a good bit wider, which hopefully does the trick. It's a little heavier too, but not by too much. I'll just make my wife carry it.

Thanks for listening to my rants.
-Jeff